


Rise of the TMNT: The Chaotic Recombinant Theory

by The1TrueAnon



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Adding characters as I go, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gabriel Lett is Insane, Love Le Bois, Please enjoy!, Relationships will be revealed, Sweetness, The Lett Fam is Coming At Cha, Written Like a Season, adding tags as I go, big fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-01-13 14:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21122927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The1TrueAnon/pseuds/The1TrueAnon
Summary: The Chaotic Recombinant Theory - the idea that combining enough different forms of mutated DNA could potentially create an entirely new, improved species of human that could withstand multitudes of conditions and never die out.After one of the brothers makes a surprising trip to the surface, the Turtle Bois (TM) meet someone new, who also happens to be an entirely new type of mutant they didn't even know existed.But with the connection of this new mutant comes an entirely new villain they all must face. Is it possible to beat the unbeatable, to kill the invincible. They'll have to find out ...





	1. A Meeting of the Abnormal Kind

**Author's Note:**

> OMG, yaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhssss!
> 
> I have been waiting for this for forever! I've put in a lot of planning and ideas into this, and I'm really excited to see how much you guys like it!

_ September 5, 200X _

_ _ _ I have been contemplating Recombinant Project 81632 for a while now, unsure of whether or not I have failed in creating the intended result. While the current result seems to fit best with my expectations, my opinion changes with how frequently she disappoints or impresses me. At some moments, she fits so perfectly into the purpose I’ve created her for, and at others her actions disappoint me greatly. _

_ _ _ Because of this, I have decided Project 81632 will go on hold, and my study of her will continue. However, I have a new project that has … piqued my interest, you could say. I don’t know when it will be complete. I will need time to collect the necessary DNA for it, and there is much to gather. _

_ _ _ If I complete this, I will be the first scientist to prove the Chaotic Recombinant Theory correct.  _ When _ I complete this, for I refuse to fail. _

_ _ _ They call those who attempt it madmen. _

_ _ _ But I am merely an eccentric visionary. _

_ New Project: Recombinant Project 61218  _

_ Testing: Chaotic Recombinant Theory _

_ Expected Completion Date: TBA _

_ \-- Gabriel R. Lett _

* * *

Donatello is  _ not  _ supposed to be out right now.

He knows this. Of course he knows this; he  _ is _ the smart one after all. But he’d been wanting to check this place out for a while, and unlike other places, this one wasn’t open all the time.

From his perch on the rooftop of a building across the street, Donnie studies the small dance studio curiously. This is his last moment; he could choose to recognize this a the  _ obviously stupid _ idea it was and back out, or he could continue forth, ignoring his brain’s multitudes of warnings about going in public, and enter the studio.

Donnie had been watching this place for a while. The studio seemed mostly freestyle and welcoming to new members, but also seemed to have its fair share of …  _ strange _ people. Some admittedly looked like they could also be mutants, which brought Donnie’s hopes up. He sighs, judging his options. He could get in a hell of a lot of trouble for this, but at the same time the fantasy of being able to actually  _ be  _ around other people … 

Not to mention the dancing.

Donatello steels his nerves, pulls his heavy purple hoodie’s hood over his head, and carefully makes his way down the building. He strolls across the street, attempting to look  _ tres _ casual, and almost gets hit, sending him into a sprint. He enters the building, looking around. There only seems to be one teacher, a woman with almost pure white hair, which would seem normal if she didn’t look so  _ young _ , only about mid-twenties. Her gaze lands on him and she smiles softly.

“Hello,” she greets. “I haven’t seen you before, have I?”

Donnie shakes his head a little, surprisingly shy now that he’s faced with actual people.

Because,  _ oh _ .

There are more people here than he’d expected, all chatting casually. He hunches his shoulders and tries not to draw attention to himself.

“Well, welcome. What’s your name?”

“Hmm?” he looks back at the teacher, who still smiles.

“Your name. Or a nickname, if you’d prefer it,” she repeats.

“O-oh. Um, D-donnie,” he says, then mentally smacks himself for not giving her a fake name, for not fucking  _ thinking _ about giving her a fake name, the dumb-dumb. He sighs quietly. Oh, well. Damage done.

“Nice of you to join us, Donnie,” she says warmly. “I’m Miss LeBeux, but all of them call me Miss B.” She laughs. “Honestly, it’s easier. We’ll start in a minute, so you can socialize a little if you’d like.” Donnie nods, then proceeds to stand against the wall and observe. This is his comfort zone, not talking to random strangers.

The class does start a few moments after, but sadly they seem to be working on something with pairs. The teacher sighs frustratingly, or as frustratingly as someone as generally  _ calm _ as her. “She’s not here yet,” Miss B murmurs, then catches sight of Donnie. “Don’t worry, I’ll have a partner for you in a moment,” she assures. “One of my students is late.” Donnie just nods again, just as the door is practically kicked in.

“You can relax, Miss B! I’m here!” a feminine voice calls out, breathless. In the doorway stands a girl with dark, messy hair tied up in a wreck of a bun on top of her head. She seems …  _ different _ to Donnie somehow, like she should be normal, but something is just  _ off _ . 

Not to say she isn’t pretty. She’s also surprisingly very lovely, with soft, milky green eyes and curvy, yet petite form. There’s also a birthmark on her cheek that catches Donnie’s attention, slightly darker than the rest of her skin and roughly strawberry-shaped.

Donnie forces himself to look away from her, fairly aware that he’s staring now.

Miss B shakes her head and smiles. “Well, you can hardly gasp and dance at the same time,” the teacher chasites gently.

“Beg to differ,” the girl replies, still gasping for oxygen like it’s going out of style, but shooting Miss B a grin.

Miss B rolls her eyes in a way that seems like something she only does around this student. “Really, Miss Lett, this is what public transportation is for.” At this, the girl looks away.

“Forgot my wallet,” she mumbles. Miss B points her to the back wall.

“Sit and catch your breath, Miss Lett, and then you can join us.” Donnie perks up as Miss B motions to him. “Donnie, you can sit with her and catch her up on what we’ve been doing, and then you can both be partnered up when Sasha is ready.” Donnie nods and joins the girl - Sasha - on the floor.

For a moment the only sound between the two of them is Sasha’s slowly evening breathing. Donnie can’t help glancing over at her, though every time he finds her eyes on him he looks away, embarrassed to be caught watching her. He sits still through the uncomfortable silence, wondering about what she must be thinking.

Suddenly, Sasha taps the floor between them. “You ready?” she asks lightly, as though she already knows what to do. Donnie realizes he likes her voice - soft with the slightest hint of sarcasm and Southern lilt. 

“Y-yeah,” he responds, returning to the present. “So, um, what we’re basically doing is -”

“I know.” Donnie blinks in surprise and watches her as she stands.

“H-huh?” Sasha grins, the birthmark on her cheek shifting.

“Watch and learn, newbie,” she replies, slightly smug. Then, to Donnie’s surprise, Sasha steps up with the other dancers and begins the steps, matching all of them. Donnie’s eyes widen at her perfect sync, and he realizes that she’s not only been watching him, but the dancers as well, studying their movements. 

Donnie’s shocked. H-has she actually managed to …  _ impress him? _

Well, that can’t stand for long.

He grins, standing himself, and heads over to Sasha, who doesn’t seem to notice him at first. “Do yourself a favor,” he tells her, catching her attention before matching her step-for-step himself, “and don’t call me a newbie.”

Sasha’s grin holds not only surprise, but a hint of a challenge. “Oh, really?” she replies coolly. She pauses for a few steps, then shifts styles, the music somehow fitting her movements anyway. Donnie can’t hold back a smile as he changes his movements to match hers. Sasha’s smile drops into surprise for a split second before returning as she changes again. Donnie casually changes with her, beginning to anticipate her movements.

By now, the other students are watching them, their movements sluggish as their attention is shifted. Pride fills Donnie’s heart as he continues to dance. Admittedly, he doesn’t get this kind of recognition from his brothers, and getting it now is a  _ little _ ego-inflating. 

The music ends and both of them are grinning, slightly winded. “So,” Sasha says with a slight gasp, “you think you’re pretty good?” It’s a genuine question, bright despite her being winded, with only a hint of a challenge. Donnie just shrugs.

“No, I don’t think.” Sasha gives him a calculating smile, waiting. Donnie grins. “I  _ know _ .” A low “oooooooh” rises from the other dancers, and Sasha laughs almost silently.

“Okay, then.” She pulls a pen from her pocket and takes his hand. Donnie ignores the little thrill that runs through him as she writes something on his hand. An address. “I’ll meet you there at ten tonight.” She grins. “We’ll see who’s better then.” Then she turns, heading out, leaving Donnie staring after her.

He blinks, looking down at the address written on his hand. Something tells him that he just got challenged to something.

He smiles a little.

Challenge accepted, then.

* * *

Donnie successfully sneaks out again, following the address on his hand that he’s been careful not to wash off. He reaches the place, some sort of restaurant that reminds him a little of those underground coffee shops. 

Inside, however, is a little of a different story. For one, there’s a huge dance floor, which Donnie assumes isn’t typically in many restaurants. It’s also full of people.

Sasha is unmistakable in the crowd, still in the same outfit as earlier.

“Took the challenge, huh?” she calls to him. The teasing note in her voice makes him smile,  _ big _ .

“How could I turn down an invitation like that?” he asks in return. 

“You couldn’t.” Her smile is bright and contagious, challenging him. “Ready to get your butt whooped?”

“Oh,  _ please. _ ”

“Dance-off!” someone in the crowd calls, and - get this - everyone else joins in.

It’s like a scene from a movie. Donnie raises and eyebrow at Sasha. She grins.

[ Music ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okmfBtNEdPI) starts, a low beat at first. Then it surges, and neither of them can stand still anymore. 

Sasha beats Donnie to it, first swaying before moving with more grace than he expected despite their earlier dance tussle. Donnie actually stares for a moment, watching her sway, move, and spin to the music. She finishes with a flourish, smirking as she faces him. He smiles in turn, picking up the beat, then begins himself.

After a moment, he looks to her, giving her a turn. She tosses loose strands of her dark hair over her shoulder, then starts dancing again. They trade off, and after a while of this, their both grinning and breathing heavily.

It’s Sasha’s turn, and she throws herself into her movements. Donnie has to admire her dedication and grace. Her movements also seem … familiar …

He realizes that it’s the moves the class was learning earlier, but more professional and fluid. Sasha uses her whole body to dance, each move filled with emotion and energy. And Donnie … well, he knows when he’s been beat.

She comes to a stop with the music, breathing heavy. He can’t stop his smile, or his defeated yet good-natured shrug.

“Can’t top it?” she gasps out. He nods.

“Congrats, you’ve won,” he responds. “That’s a level I can’t reach.” Sasha’s smile grows.

“Thanks. You’re pretty great yourself.” Suddenly, her hand shoots out and grabs his. Donnie starts at first, but then realizes she’s writing something else on his hand. 

“I’ve gotta go, got someone to take care of, but,” she finishes writing, “call or text later and we can talk.” He looks from the number written on his hand to her. Sasha smiles genuinely, sweetly, and his stomach does the weirdest tumble.

Sasha leaves, and Donnie stares after her for a moment, a thousand thoughts racing their way through his head.

* * *

The man studies the tapes he collected, watching the girl with the dark hair and cat-like eyes. In his hand he holds a corked test tube, spinning it idly. Finally, he sighs, lifting the tube to study it.

“I truly cannot decide,” he states, the British accent to his voice making a professional note slip into his light tone, “whether or not she should be a part of this.” He turns his head slightly, acknowledging his partner. “What do you think, Baron Draxum?”

The yokai lifts a brow. “You know I have no opinion on Project 81632. She’s purely yours, Gabriel. The only tie I have to her is the fact that you used my technology.” Gabriel exhales a breath, almost annoyed. Almost.

“I suppose … perhaps …” Gabriel fades off into mumbles, then nods. “Perhaps another test is what Project 81632 needs.” He smiles. He lifts the test tube, looking at the DNA he took from his former project, his daughter,  _ Sasha _ .

His decision is made. A new test is exactly what this project needs.

And this is the perfect chance.

* * *

“Hey … April?” Donnie asks his friend over the phone as he sits on his bed after the dance-off, staring at the number he wrote down in one of his notebooks.

_ “Wassup, hon?”  _ His friend’s voice is a good thing to hear as confusion fills him.

“So, uh, this is gonna sound kinda dumb …”

_ “Oh boy.” _

“Don’t give me that,” Donnie scolds. He’s warranted a few stupid moments every now and then.

_ “Alright, alright,” _ April relents. Donnie can hear her teasing smile.  _ “So whaddya need?” _

“Um, so if a girl gives you their number …”

_ “Hold up, you got a girl’s number?” _ Excitement makes his best friend’s voice shrill.  _ “Who?  _ How?  _ Is she hot? _ ”

“ _ April. _ ”

_ “Right. Sorry.” _ Donnie hears her clear her throat, calming down. _ “So, continue please.” _

“Okay.” He sighs. “So if a girl gives you their number … uh … what are you supposed to do?”

Silence.

Then: “ _ You’re  _ kidding, _ Dee. _ ”

“I don’t know the protocol for these things, okay?!” 

April groans exasperatedly on the other side. “ _ She gave you her  _ number _ , Dee! _ ”

“Yes, I’m aware of that!”

_ “Donnie,”  _ she starts slowly,  _ “what do you do with phone numbers?” _

“ … call people?” There’s a beat of silence. “So … do I - “

_ “Call her! _ ”

“Okay, okay! … Now?”

_ “Oh my gosh, Donnie,  _ yes! _ ” _

“O-okay.” April signs off, a little too quick, and Donnie slowly and carefully types in Sasha’s number. He hears a dial tone, waits a few moments, before …

_ “Hello?” _

“Uh, hi. Sasha, um, it’s me, Donnie. From earlier?”

_ “Oh! Hi!” _ She sounds pleasantly surprised, as though she wasn’t expecting the call yet. 

“Hi.”

An awkward silence comes between them.  _ “Donnie?” _

“Y-yeah?”

_ “Just making sure you were still there.” _

“Oh! Oh.” He bites his lip, trying to think of something to say. “So …”

_ “So …”  _ Sasha giggles.  _ “We have no clue how to do this, do we?” _

Donnie laughs. “No, definitely not.”

She laughs again, and the sound warms Donnie’s chest.  _ “Why don’t we just start from the beginning.” _

“What would that be?”

_ “Family. Our lives, I guess.” _ Donnie feels like their in some sort of bubble, sharing the same content smile and warm feeling.  _ “You got any siblings?” _

“Yes, four brothers.” Donnie glances towards his door as if they could walk in right now as he mentions them.

_ “Four?” _

“Yeah, but let’s not dwell on them.”

_ “Annoying?” _ she asks knowingly.

“More than you can imagine.”

_ “Ha, wish I could say the same. I have a little sister, but she’s pretty okay. Makes me feel guilty.” _

“You shouldn’t, though.” This is so natural. Donnie’s surprised to find that he’s actually  _ enjoying _ an interaction with another person for once.

_ “I know, but she’s just too good to me.” _

“Jealousy.”

_ “I get that a lot,” _ she responds smugly.

“And on the topic of jealousy, how did you get  _ so good _ at dancing?”

_ “Well …” _


	2. The Cat's Out of the Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donnie's brothers find out about Sasha and demand to meet her, to Donnie's embarrassment. However, during one of their talks, Donnie finds out Sasha's two biggest secrets.
> 
> Oh yeah, and Sasha's gonna meet the bois next, soo .... squeaks of excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! A slightly better chapter!  
Also, these are supposed to be in episodes, like a season, so just imagine that "Chapter" is actually "Episode".
> 
> AND posts will be every other Thursday.

Over the course of a week and a half, Donnie came to learn a lot about Sasha Lett.

For example, he knew that her little sister Charlotte - who also happened to be Sasha’s whole world - was absolutely obsessed with space. Sasha had startled him by telling him about Lottie’s surprisingly vast knowledge of the universe outside their planet.

“She knows what the  _ Kuiper _ belt is?”

_ “She’s Lottie. She could tell you how much fuel you’d need to fuel a proper rocket.” _

“ … No way.”

_ “Uh, yeah way. I’ll get her on here if you want proof.” _

“You may have to.”

He knew that Sasha, while only being a few months younger than him, is already a  _ senior _ in high school (“How?!”  _ “I’ll just say I have a slight advantage against normal people.” _ “Tch, yeah, no kidding!”). She loves dancing and has been doing so practically since she could walk (“So  _ that’s _ why you’re so good at it!”  _ “Yeah. Mom and I would dance together all the time when I was little.” _ ). Her parents were divorced and, though her father is fighting for Lottie’s custody, Sasha refuses to let him have it.

Because, oh yeah. Sasha  _ hates _ her father. 

“But why?”

_ “ … I don’t want to talk about it.” _

“ … okay … “

Whether it was long conversations over the phone late at night when Sasha didn’t have work and Donnie was doing simple tinkering in his lab (he loves that she loves the idea of his lab and he really really wants to show it to her), or him sneaking out and visiting her for long walks through the city or hangouts in random places she likes (like bookstores and coffeeshops), Donnie has come to grow close enough to Sasha, and Sasha to him, to consider her a good friend comfortably. And despite the amount of time he’s dedicated to her, Donnie hasn’t worried that this might be bordering on an obsession.

He does now, though.

Ever since they met, ever since they had that beautifully epic dance battle together, Donatello had thought of pretty much nothing and no one but Sasha. When he’d talk to her again. When he’d see her again. Her hair. Her eyes. The grace in her movements when she danced that, no matter how many times her relived those moments in his head, just took his breath  _ away _ .

This would all be fine and dandy if Donnie didn’t have  _ work _ to do.

He’d honestly tried. Spent an entire day and a half surrounded by nothing but tools, parts, and blueprints. And yet somehow, Sasha had become some form of inventor’s block for him.

Finally he’d had enough. There was one more thing he’d decided to try, something Mikey had suggested to him a year or two ago, something that truly displayed the level of desperate he’s currently reached. He’d asked Mikey for canvases and paint and just … worked. Donnie typically prefers rigid expression, which he displays in his creations. But using fluent, open art? Typically a sign of the poor softshell being in need of major creative help.

But apparently this is useless in this case, too. Donatello currently glares at canvas number three, hating his mind.

The first had seemed to go well. For some reason, he’d settled on blacks and very dark browns, as well as a fan-shaped brush. He’d started out layering them a little towards the right of the center, leaving plenty of room for other paints in he so chose. The blacks were the darks and the browns like light, until it almost looked like fur … or hair … 

It was only until Donnie had pulled back to observe his work that he realized it looked  _ exactly  _ like hair. Sasha’s hair. He’d sighed and put it in a secluded corner of his curtained-off room, both to dry and to hide from his brothers.

The second was added to the corner only a few moments later, as any shade of green he’d managed to put on it turned out the same light, milky green as Sasha’s eyes. He’d actually groaned and thunked his head against that one, so he probably had some paint on his forehead from it.

The third, sitting in front of him now, is covered in light pencil sketches, originally meant to guide him, but turning out to also resemble Sasha’s form. Donnie sighs and adds it to his “screw-ups” corner before grabbing yet another. He stares at it blankly.  _ If you could paint  _ anything, he thinks to himself,  _ what would it be? _ His stare sinks back into a glare as he realizes he has nothing. He sighs again.

“Hey, Donnie!” Leo’s overly cheery voice nearly scares Donnie out of his chair. Donnie carefully lets out a breath, assuring himself that he did not just have a heart attack.

“How may I help you, Leon?” he asks in what he hopes is a close to calm, fairly pleasant voice.

“Me? I just came to see how the painting’s going,” the younger brother replies, leaning over Donnie’s shoulder. “What? Nothing?” Donnie suppresses an angry growl as Leo does some sort of roll across the softshell’s shoulders, ending up flopped backwards over Donnie’s other shoulder. “But you’ve been in here for _ ever _ , you gotta have someth - ” Suddenly Leo stops, catching sight of the “screw-ups” corner. He stands up straight with a mischevious grin. “Oh? What could be over here, I wonder?”

“Huh?” Donnie looks up to see his annoying brother already over at the corner. “Wait, Leo, no! Those are just - !” By the time Donnie speaks, however, Leo has already picked up one of the canvases and Donnie knows it’s too late.

“Whaaaaaat?” Leo holds the penciled one out towards Donnie with a grin Donnie really,  _ really _ hates. “This one’s of a girl! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it! You’ve got a girlfriend!” 

Donnie places a hand over his face, exasperated. He should have destroyed those when he had the chance. Burned them, shredded them, something. “Leon … no …” 

“So that’s why you’ve been acting all weird lately!”

“Leon,  _ no _ .” The red-eared slider seems to ignore him, dancing around him while singing “Donnie’s got a girlfriend” over and over. 

And yet, things proceed to get worse.

Raph and Mikey, summoned by Leo’s exclamations, poke their heads into Donnie’s room. 

“What?” Mikey asks, genuinely curious.

“Hold up, say what now?” Raph adds with a big, goofy grin.

Donnie whirls around to face the two. “B-brothers!” he exclaims. Leo leans over Donnie’s shoulder.

“Donnie’s got a girlfriend,” he continues, looking at them with a sly grin and raised eyebrows.

“Really?” Raph’s question is punctuated with excitement.

“Gross,” Mikey contradicts mildly, but follows Raph inside the room anyway.

“I do  _ not _ ,” Donnie retorts, pulling away from his virtual “twin”. Leo moves away anyway, grabbing one of the canvases.

“Yeah, he does. Look. Donnie did paintings and stuff.” Leo holds out the canvas he has and then goes to grab the other two after Raph takes it.

“L-Leon.” Donnie’s attempts at protesting are largely ignored.

“See,” Leo continues, “That one’s what she must look like, kinda, and that one’s her hair, and that one …” The three brothers stare at the green one. “I actually don’t know what that one is.”

“Yo, Donnie,” Raph calls, “what’s this one?”

Donnie glares at it resentfully before letting out a defeated sigh. “Her eye color,” he mutters.

“These are really good, Donnie,” Mikey praises with a smile. “She could be your muse.”

“Or his  _ giiirrrrlllllfriiieeend _ ,” Leo sings.

“ _ Gross _ ,” Mikey insists. Leo begins his dancing and singing of “Donnie’s got a girlfriend” again.

“Aw!” Raph cooes, staring at one of the pictures. “So when do we get to meet her?”

“ _ What?!? _ ” Donnie squeaks, flinching.

“Yeah!” Leo says, pausing his song and dance. “If our bro’s got a girl, we should get to meet her!” No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

“Guys, she’s not my - I mean, I-I don’t know about - o-or even if - ”

“Meet her! Meet her! Meet her!” Raph and Leo chant together. Mikey looks as though he wants to be both excited and mildly disgusted.

Oh boy. What has Donnie managed to get himself into now?

* * *

Sasha blinks blearily at the computer screen in front of her. She’s been sitting here for  _ hours _ at least, she doesn’t know, who knows. Time doesn’t exist in this little bubble of restless, mindless, finger-typing  _ hell _ .

Otherwise known as her spot at the library, where she’s been working tirelessly at getting at least a  _ shot _ at every scholarship imaginable out there that she’s eligible for.

Man, life sure sucks when you’re excessively smart.

Sasha stretches again, careful not to hit the librarian (a pretty alright friend to her, she tries to help Sasha out whenever she can) shelving books behind her, and shifts her attention to the scholarship book beside her.

And nearly shrieks at the next prompt she’s circled.

“I have to write  _ how many pages?! _ ” she whisper-yells. Her librarian-friend behind her, Miss Davis, looks over Sasha’s shoulder.

“Looks like it says fifteen,” she replies with a knowing smirk. Sasha gives her a look of “are you  _ serious _ right now”. 

“Yes, thank you. I can see that,” she replies dryly. Miss Davis’ smirk becomes a fond smile. 

“Oh, honey. You can take a break if you need it,” she sympathizes. “Or better yet,  _ stop _ . You’ve been at this for hours.” 

Sasha shakes her head before resting it between her hands. Her pencil taps against her skull. “No, I don’t know when I’ll get the off time to do this again.” She’s busy, despite the insanities of her life that give her a little more time, and this is important.

“If you’re sure, hon. You know where the reference materials are.” Miss Davis turns back to her shelving, and Sasha - sigh - turns back to her typing.

Thirty minutes in, Sasha is reading over the (small) amount of progress she’s had, head propped in her hands again, and … well … Okay, she’s not sure  _ what  _ exactly happens, but somehow her head slips out of her hands and falls on the keyboard. Cue slightly painful bruise on her forehead.

One hour in, and Sasha’s not sure if she’ll ever be able to use her hands again.

An hour and a half - Sasha is just done. No more of this. She throws her papers up in the air with an angry growl. No more.

Five minutes after that - Sasha sighs. Despite the torture of this, she still needs it. She gathers her papers up and plops back down in her chair.

Two hours in - “Do you need any help?” Miss Davis asks as she comes back around. Sasha, glaring at her screen, smirks dryly, head propped firmly in her hands (she’s learned her lesson from last time). 

“No, I think I’m winning,” she replies darkly. After a moment or two she sighs and leans back, eyes closed. “Remind me why I’m doing this again?”

“To get a quality education.”

“ … and why do I want that?”

“To get a good, well-paying job you enjoy.”

“Ah-huh. And - “

“And you want that so you can live a good life.”

“Ah.” Another pause, another sigh. Back to work.

Two and a half in - Miss Davis has joined her now, with something that looks like paperwork. The two are working silently when someone comes around the corner, catching Sasha’s attention.

Someone familiar enough that Sasha double-takes, making Miss Davis look up as well.

“Donnie!” she greets with a smile, and the question of  _ how does Miss Davis know Donnie _ vaguely registers in her mind. Probably because  _ oh my gosh,  _ it  _ is _ Donnie.

Same purple hoodie, same general if tall figure. He stares right back at her and suddenly Sasha’s aware that she probably looks like a madwoman. She looks away, fighting a blush.

_ Oh my gosh, wwwhhhhyyyy are you blushing?!?! _

Donnie seems to snap out of whatever state he’s in too, turning to wave at Miss Davis.

“It’s so good to see you!” she says. “It’s been forever!”

“Y-yeah … I’ve been a little busy …” Sasha peeks up at Donnie. He seems a little embarrassed. When his eyes flick over to hers, she immediately looks away again, acting like she’s still busy working.

_ Stop blushing, he’s gonna see! _

“Well, it’s good to see you here,” the librarian says. She turns to Sasha with a smile. “Shasha, you remember that boy I was telling you about a few weeks ago?”

“Mm-hm.” Sasha keeps her eyes stubbornly on her screen.

“Well, this is him.” Miss Davis nudges Donnie a little closer, catching Sasha's attention again. “This is Donnie.”

Sasha and Donnie look at each other. Their eyes lock.

Their eyes  _ lock _ .

And then they’re both flushing and looking away from each other again. “Yeah, I know. I’ve, um, I’ve met him,” Sasha mumbles.

“Oh?” Miss Davis looks between them.

“Yeah, it’s been … about a week and a half?” She looks at Donnie, who nods in confirmation. “Yeah, since we met. Though we haven’t talked in a few days.”

“Actually, I kinda need to talk to you now,” Donnie blurts out, fast and nervous.

Sasha stares. Somehow, Miss Davis has ended up behind her. She blinks, then says stupidly, “You have my phone number.”

“Donnie won’t look at her. “T-this isn’t exactly an … ‘over-the-phone’ kinda conversation.” Sasha’s face warms without warning.

“Uh …” She has to blink a couple times before snapping out of her shock. “U-um, well I’m a little busy right now, s-so, um - ”

“No, you’re not.” Sasha looks over at Miss Davis just as the librarian reaches around her and shuts off her computer. Sasha’s sounds of protest are paused by Miss Davis’ raised hand. “You’ve been in here since we opened this  _ morning _ , Sasha. It’s two in the afternoon and, as far as I know, you haven’t eaten anything yet. Go out! Be a teenager! You’re work will wait for you.” Sasha debates protesting more before giving in with a sigh. She gathers her things in her bag before standing.

“You have anywhere specific in mind for this chat, Donatello?”

* * *

“So what’s the big important topic you needed to talk with me about?” Sasha asks a few moments later as she and Donnie walk side-by-side along the streets of NYC.

“ … well …” Donnie mumbles, purposefully trying to avoid Sasha’s gaze by looking at the various shops.

“You know, for someone who made this sound  _ suuuper _ important, you sure are stalling a lot,” Sasha teases him, bumping her shoulder against his. He returns the gesture almost unconsciously.

“It  _ is _ . Kind of. But this … it’s …” He sighs, frustrated. “It’s hard, trying to bring this up. Uhh…” Donnie mumbles and struggles, noticing that Sasha doesn’t push him, just simply walks beside him, humming and looking around. 

Suddenly she stops, flinging an arm out and nearly clotheslining him.

“Uuhh … Sasha?” She shushes him.

“Do you hear that?” she whispers. Donnie blinks, but pauses to listen with her. 

And he  _ does _ , in fact, hear it.

“ … the music?” Beside him, Sasha nods distractedly.

“Yeah, but it’s not just music …” 

“ … no. No, it’s -”

“ _ Sam Smith! _ ” They look at each other, surprised that they came to the same conclusion at the same time. Sasha giggles and then they’re both laughing, reaching out and holding on to each other as support.

“I gotta find the music,” Sasha announces once she calms down, pulling away from Donnie. He squashes down the feeling of disappointment he gets when she’s separated from him (squashes it deep,  _ deep _ down) and follows her.

After a few moments, the two find themselves standing in front of the source.

“It’s a  _ Starbucks _ ,” Sasha gasps in awe, taking Donnie’s arm.

“Yeah, I can see that,” he says, looking over at her. Gosh, she can get really cute when she’s excited.

_ He did  _ not _ just think that. _

“No, no, no, no, no. Donnie. You don’t understand.” Her hand pushes his face towards her so they’re looking each other in the eyes. Sasha’a face is comically serious. Donnie hasn’t ever been this close to a girl other than April before, and his stomach certainly doesn’t feel fluttery like this around his pseudo-adopted older sister. “This isn’t just any Starbucks. It’s a Starbuck that plays all my favorite music.”

“Aaaaaannnnnnndd?”

“Oh, Donatello. You poor, unknowing soul.” She pushes away from him, dramatically spinning. “This is one of those rare finds you take advantage of. This is one of those jewels that accepts weirdos and outcasts such as us. This,” seh slings an arm around his shoulders, “is the exact place you need to figure out your thoughts. We  _ have  _ to go in.”

Donnie sighs. He’d really enjoy that, but … “Sasha, I don’t have any money on me right now, otherwise I’d -”

“Pssh.” Sasha tugs him towards the door. “Don’t worry about it. Whaddya want?” Donnie’s eyes widen as he realizes that she intends to pay for him.

“No, Sasha, you don’t have to - you need your money for -”

“Again, don’t worry about it. Now answer me before I get in line.”

Donnie grumbles as a wave of guilt and embarrassment washes over him. “Regular coffee’s fine.”

Sasha grins, patting his arm. “Great. Now, you go grab us a couple seats, and I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

Donatello complies, choosing two spots by the corner, facing the window. His fingers tap out subtle beats as he waits.

True to her word, Sasha is over with him is just a few moments, sliding his coffee in front of him. “So,” she begins casually, “you figure out what you wanna say yet?”

… oops. He kinda forgot about that.

“Well,” he starts in an attempt to sidebar before catching sight of her drink. “What is  _ that _ ?”

Sasha glances down at her coffee before grinning. “This,” she says dramatically, lifting her plastic cup, “is the milkshake of all coffee, my friend. I give you the simple, yet glorious white mocha frappe.” Donnie considers in with an interested hum. It looks like pure sugar in a cup. “Wanna sip?”

“Uh!” Donnie’s eyes flick to hers. Her offer seems genuine, considering her smile and the way she holds the cup out towards him. Fighting the honeyglow that threatens to rise to his cheeks, he leans in and takes a sip. “Hmm,” he hums before swallowing. “Not bad, but also really sweet.” Too sweet for him to drink regularly. She wasn’t kidding about the drink’s likeness to a milkshake.

Sasha shrugs. “To each his own,” she replies before sipping her drink. A little thrill races through Donnie as he remembers the many times those words have come out of his own mouth.

He turns away from her, though his eyes stay trained on her easy-going smile and warm eyes, facing the window as he sips his coffee. 

After a few moments of silence Sasha sighs, closing her eyes and leaning back. “Man, I feel a little bad, being out her having fun while Lottie’s probably at home with only Nan to keep her company.” 

Donnie gives a light-hearted laugh at the comment. “Why? Where’s your mom?” Sasha’s small smile drops entirely. “Oh. Is she really busy?”

“No.” Sasha’s voice is short. She looks away from him. “She’s dead.”

Donnie blinks. “Oh.” The entirety of her words finally hits him full-force. “ _ Oh. _ Oh, I-I’m sorry … I didn’t mean -”

“It’s okay.” She smiles sadly at him. “I should have told you before.”

“ … ” Donnie’s not sure what to say. On one hand, he wants to comfort her but  _ sucks _ at it. On the other, he’s a little bit curious … “ … can I ask how long?”

Sasha nods. “Almost two years,” she replies, voice thick. “She got sick with c -” She chokes, and Donnie’s hand automatically reaches out to pat her shoulder. She takes a deep breath. “Nan and I have been taking care of Lottie ever since.”

Something occurs to Donnie. “That’s why your dad wants custody.” The grief in Sasha’s eyes shifts to an angry flame, and she nods. “But … wouldn’t she be safer and better taken care of with him?”

“No.” Sasha’s response is automatic and resolute. “Absolutely not.”

“Why?” Donnie doesn’t understand. He loves his family, no matter how disclosed he likes to be about it. “Is it because you hate him?” Sasha doesn’t respond, refusing to meet his eyes. “Why do you hate him so much?” he whispers. There’s a long pause before Sasha signs defeatedly. 

“I suppose that’s something else I’ll have to tell you,” she says, rising from her chair. Donnie follows, confused. When Sasha’s gaze meets his, her eyes are sad and full of worry . “Walk with me?”

* * *

Donnie and Sasha walk in silence for a long time, long enough for the sun to begin to set, until they reach the Tower memorials. Two giant, square-shaped waterfalls flow out in front of them. It’s here where Sasha pauses, leaning against the border of the man-made falls. Donnie follows her lead and the two stand side-by-side, Donnie watching Sasha and Sasha watching the falls.

“My father is a biologist and geneticist. He studies all sorts of creatures, from mammals to birds to reptiles, and their DNA. He typically studies animals, and even experiments with their DNA.” Her eyes flick to Donnie’s for a moment. “You can see where I’m going with this?” He nods slowly, understanding what she’s saying, but not enough to get what she’s hinting at. She sighs.

“My dad … he’s a bit of an eccentric. No, scratch that, he  _ is  _ an eccentric. He doesn’t do just simple studies and experiments. He has entire  _ projects  _ he works on. Some - very few - are deemed successes. Others can end up as horrible failures.” Sasha shudders and glares at her arms. Donnie’s stomach drops as he realizes what she’s talking about: genetic experimentation, to the point of specific recombination. Something that shouldn’t surprise him, given his own life and all he’s witnessed recently, and yet somehow does.

“Just after my parents marriage, my father began working on a project he dubbed Project 81632, or the Soldier project. The idea behind it was to create a form of enhanced soldier to be used as a type of weapon.”

“Like Captain America?” Sasha gives Donnie a deadpan look.

“Captain America is garbage. There’s no way a supersoldier could ever be fully human and have those types of abilities, especially to that extent.They’d have to be meshed with some form of animal.”

“Which is what your father was doing.”

“Yes.”

And there it is. Donnie starts having the pieces slowly come together in his mind, and the picture he’s getting is one that he’s not sure he wants very badly or hates with every fiber of his being. He nods for her to continue, feeling a little sick.

“My dad had a few designs that he tested and seemed alright, but after a few years he’d settled on a design that he could use to test another theory, and was desperately trying to get it to work.”

“ … which was?”

“Combining the DNA of a calico cat with male human embryos that would essentially become human-calico recombinants.”

“ …  _ mutants _ … ”

“Exactly.”

No, not exactly. Donnie’s picture is getting clearer.

“So … desperate …?”

“Right. After multitudes of tests, it generally wasn’t working. The embryos were dying off and my father had only two ideas why: the specifics of calico cat DNA being explicitly female and the lack of a live mother.

“Fortunately for him, by this time he had a chance to test the second idea.”

It fully clicks in Donatello’s mind. “Because …”

Sasha nods. “Because my mother was pregnant, and my father originally thought his first child to be a boy.”

“Y-you’re … you’re … ” It’s almost like a dream come true and an awful nightmare at the same time. He looks into Sasha’s milky green eyes - cat-like eyes, he realizes now - and finally finds his words.

“You’re a mutant.”

Sasha bites her lip. “I’m sorry!” she blurts out. “I wanted to tell you - I really did - but I just didn’t know how, and typically people don’t really ever need to know, and - “

“Sasha, Sasha, it’s okay!” he assures her.  _ It might be more than okay. _ “I get it.”

“You do?” she asks. “I mean, of course you do, but … it’s okay?”

“Yeah.” Donnie blinks and suddenly catches the earlier half of her sentence. “Wait a minute, you know?” Sasha just grabs his hand in response.

“Not many normal people have only three fingers,” she points out. Donnie remembers how she wrote on his hand when they first met and suddenly feels very, very dim.

“Uh … right … well … you see …” Donnie stumbles, trying to figure out something to say. Sasha shakes her head.

“It’s okay.” Her smile is reassuring. “I told you when I was ready, and I trust you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” Donnie nods carefully. Both of them look down at their hands, now linked, as if they expect the other to pull away. When neither of them do, they both flush and look away, but don’t let go.

“It’s, um, it’s getting late,” Donnie mumbles.

“Yeah,” Sasha replies just as quietly. “Would you, um … would you walk me home?” Donnie nods, more than happy to.

They have to walk a little ways, but they get to a street that Donnie realizes isn’t too far from April’s, and they stop in front of an apartment building.

“Sooo,” Sasha says as they face each other shyly, still holding hands. “I should … probably go in.”

“Yeah …” Donnie agrees awkwardly, but doesn’t let go. He bites his lip nervously before blurting out, “My brothers want to meet you!”

“Oh?” 

“Y-yeah. Dad’ll probably be kinda on board with it, but my brothers practically demanded to get to meet you … so if it’s okay with you …”

“Okay.” Sasha smiles. “When?”

“ … is tomorrow okay? You can see our place, too …”

“Okay. Um, time?”

“Uh, I’ll … come get you about seven?”

“Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah …”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

They stand there a little longer, until Sasha gently untangles her fingers from his and steps closer. Donnie inhales sharply as Sasha raises up on her toes and presses her lips against his cheek, just below the edge of his mask.

“Thank you,” she whispers before dashing inside, leaving Donatello out in the cool night with one hand pressed to the spot her lips were  _ only seconds ago _ .

What is he feeling? His world is going haywire.

Donnie decides it’s time to head home. He’s going to need a lot of rest for tomorrow, and there’s no doubt his brothers are waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically Sasha's father is a recombinant geneticist who used Sasha in one of his experiments and, as a result, she's now part calico cat.   
Yeah, by the time we're at the ending, you'll all be hating Gabriel. I promise ya.
> 
> Check out my tumblr (@the1trueanon) for turtle art! I posted an Inktober project for the year last week!
> 
> Also, this story can be found on Wattpad under the same name and writer.


	3. Add the Fam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha finally gets to meet Donnie's family - and they're nothing like she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER TIME! (plays Rise theme song really loudly)

Donnie wakes up the next day with one goal in mind:

“We have company coming! This place needs to be clean!”

He whirlwinds through the lair in a flurry of shouted orders and stuff-filled arms. Honestly, his brothers seem a little stunned. Donnie’s never acted like this, not even the first time April came over oh-so-many years ago.

“What is Purple yelling about?” Splinter asks, irritably rubbing a sleepy eye as he stands in the doorway of the kitchen, where Leo is reclined and Donnie is running through in his cleaning frenzy.

“Donnie’s girlfriend is coming over,” Leo says simply as he scrolls through his phone. A bundled-up tshirt hits his head from the side for the comment.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Donnie shoots back, crossing his now-empty arms. “Call her that again and you won’t get the opportunity to meet her.”

“Ugh,  _ ffffffiiiiiiiinne _ ,” Leo groans, pulling the shirt off his head. Once Donnie is out of earshot, Leo corrects himself by saying, “Donnie’s friend-girl is coming over.”

“When did Purple get a girlfriend? Or, uh, a ‘friend-girl’, as you called it, Blue.”

“Dunno.” Leo goes back to scrolling through his phone. “Since he snuck out at some point, I guess?”

“Dad!If you’re going to be up and awake for this event, you’re gonna help make this place presentable!” Both father and son wince as Donnie yells.

“I suppose I will have to talk to him later about that,” Splinter reasons as Leo Gets up to head off to his room. 

Meanwhile, Donnie has taken his terrorizing into the main atium. Raph and Mikey watch in shocked horror. 

“I want this place looking like freaking  _ Disney on Ice _ in three hours!”

“D-Donnie.” Raph chances a venture towards his immediate younger brother. “Maybe you’re goin’ a lil’ overboard?” Donnie turns a glare on the red-masked brother.

“I am most certainly  _ not _ ‘going overboard,  _ Raphael _ ,” Donatello snaps, adding finger quotes around ‘going overboard’. “We have company coming over and there can be no signs of  _ mess _ \- “

“You mean life?” Donnie glares at Raph.

“ - of  _ mess _ in this household. Or sewerhold, take your pick of name.

“Okay then, Casanova,” Leo teases from a doorway. “What about your lab?”

Donnie gasps dramatically. “The  _ lab _ !” He races off, leaving Mikey and Raph to breathe sighs of relief.

“And you’re welcome,” Leo brags smugly before walking away.

It takes Donnie about two hours to get the lab in a condition he’s willing to let Sasha see, and afterwards he goes back to his terrorizing.

“Did any of you do  _ anything _ while I was cleaning the lab?!?”

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. joins them in the cleaning, programmed to do a simple sweep of the lair (the brothers just  _ barely _ manage to keep Donnie from making the robot assistant as much of a clean-freak as Donnie is being) and everything seems to be running smoothly for everyone but Don.

“This was such a bad idea.  _ Why _ did I agree to let you guys meet her -  _ GUYS _ !!!”

“Donnie!” Raph stops the purple-clad brother. “Calm down! Gosh! What time are you supposed to go get her?”

“Sssssseeevvvennn …” Donnie glances at his writscreen. “ … and it’s six forty-five right now. Ugh!” The softshell heads to his room, shouting more orders of cleaning as he goes. “Leon, if you haven’t made your bed yet, throw it out! We don’t have enough time to deal with it now!” Leo, on said unmade bed, glances up from his comic and slowly plants a possessive hand on his mattress, like someone (such as Donnie) will steal it out from under him and make good on Donnie’s order.

After tugging on a large hoodie and yelling a little bit more at his brothers (“This place better be freaking  _ sparkling _ when I get back!” “DONNIE! GO!”), Donatello is finally off to pick up Sasha.

He stands outside the building for a few minutes, wondering if he should stay out here or go up before Sasha comes out. 

“Hi,” she greets. Donnie tries and fails to hold back a smile.

“Hi,” he replies. The two kind of just stand there a minute, staring at each other before Sasha flushes and looks away.

“So, um, I guess you’ll lead the way,” she mumbles as Donnie follows suit in the blushing and looking away.

“Uh, yeah.” Donnie inwardly cringes at his sudden lack of words, stuffing a hand into the pocket of his hoodie. He tentatively holds the other out for her to take. Sasha seems to pause, as if she’s considering this decision. 

Donnie honestly can’t blame her. After learning about what her life has actually been like, what her own  _ father  _ has done to her … he can’t blame her for being wary.

(It makes him sick, her father’s treatment of her. He can’t imagine his own father doing the same, but it’s … more than that. It’s horrible, how someone she should trust undyingly has absolutely destroyed her chances at a normal life. It makes him enraged.)

He watches the gears turn in Sasha’s head as she weighs her rust in him with the situation. He’s choosing patience, choosing to let her give him her trust instead of trying to take it. Eventually she accepts, placing her hand in his and letting him lead her.

* * *

A few minutes after accepting Donnie’s lead, Sasha is wondering if she should have thought this over.

“You live down  _ there _ ?” she asks, watching Donnie move a manhole lid out of the way (admittedly, she’s also wondering just how strong Donnie actually is. ‘Cause she knows that she can  _ just barely _ move one of those herself, and Donnie lifts it with little effort.). Donnie nods resolutely, the nervous grin on his face swaying Sasha back into following him.

(That grin is  _ really _ cute.)

( … she did  _ not _ just think that … )

Donnie, ever the gentleman, helps her down the ladder. In actuality, Sasha ends up slipping and Donnie half-carries her down after that.

It’s really dark down here, and she’s admittedly a little grateful for it, because it mostly hides her blush when Donnie has to carry her.

“Take a right here, and then - wait.”

“Hmm? Oh. Big gap.”

“Uh … I might need to carry you again.”

“ … are you purposefully taking the route where you have to pick me up multiple times?”   
“N-no!”

There’s a few more turns before they stop in front of a large door. Huh. That’s … no, that’s not supposed to be there. Donnie turns around to face her, and Sasha notices the fabric in his hands.

“Um … what’s  _ that _ for?” she asks warily. 

“It’s supposed to be part of the surprise, but … you don’t have to put it on if you don’t want.” He’s sincere about it, like he won’t make her do anything she’s not okay with. Sasha nods and turns, letting Donnie tie the fabric over her eyes. “Okay,” he says when he’s finished, turning her carefully back around. “I’ll be right back out, I just need to check on them real quick, okay?” She nods, hears the door open, then close, then hears … yelling? It goes silent after a few moments before the door opens again and Donnie’s voice says, “Okay, come on in!” He takes her hand again and gently leads her inside.

The cool, damp feeling of the sewers is chased away by a homely-feeling warmth, like an AC. She can hear chattering that gets closer as she and Donnie continue further inside. 

Donnie takes her shoulders and guides her into a specific room and the chattering form earlier first gets to its loudest, the stops. Sasha stands still when she realizes she’s got to be in the same room as Donnie’s family. She takes a slightly shaky breath.

“Wow, Don. You didn’t tell us your friend-girl is hot,” a male voice says. Sasha laughs, as do two other male voices that aren’t Donnie’s or the other male’s.

“Thank you … I think,” she responds politely, turning in the direction she thinks the voice that complimented her came from.

“Yo, Donnie,” a slightly deeper voice calls out. “You just gonna leave that blindfold on her the whole time?”

“Yes, please unblind me,” Sasha adds, catching an adorable little giggle from whom she assumes is the third male she hasn’t heard speak yet.

“Oh, right.” There’s a moment where the blindfold is being untied, and then the fabric goes slack. It’s pulled away and Sasha blinks a little, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light of the home before she looks at the people in front of her.

She’s in some form of living room, the couch and a chair turned towards her. She’s … admittedly a little surprised at the two  _ mutant turtles _ on the couch, and the one on the floor in front of them, and a little less surprised (but surprised nonetheless) at the mutant rat in the chair.

Sasha blinks, stares, blinks again. This repeats for a moment as her hands slowly reach for Donnie’s on her shoulders. Then she smiles.

No wonder Donnie understands so much.

The smallest turtle in orange, who’s been practically vibrating on the floor, hops up with all the energy of a happy little puppy and races over to tackle Sasha in a big hug.

“Hi!” he exclaims, squeezing her close. She giggles, reaching up to pat his shell (oh my  _ gosh _ , they even actually have  _ shells _ ) as he rocks back and forth. He reminds her of her sister Charlotte, all love and bubbly energy.

“Hi,” she replies between giggles. The other two have gotten up and now group around her. The hand of the biggest one reaches out to tug the small one away gently.

“Come on, Mike. Offa her. We talked about this, ‘member?” You’re not suppose’ta hop on her and overwhelm her,” he scolds lightly. The small one nods, still hopping slightly on his toes. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“Oh, no problem,” Sasha giggles. “Who can say no to a hug?”

“I like her!” the small one states happily. The one in blue shakes his head while rolling his eyes good-naturedly. Sasha’s attention catches on the red stripes arcing out from under his mask for a moment (she doesn’t get the mask thing yet either, but they’re all wearing them except the rat, so).

“Anyway, nice to meetcha.” The big one in red offers her one of his giant hands to shake and she takes it with a little hesitantcy, finding out that despite the strength he obviously has, he shakes her hand with utter delicacy. “My name’s Raphael, but I go by Raph.” the one in blue elbows him and clears his throat pointedly. “That’s Leonardo. Or Leo, or Leon, or idiot.” Leo elbows Raph again before smiling at Sasha.

“Charmed,” he states grandly. Sasha easily identifies him as the one who called her hot a few moments ago.

“Likewise,” she replies just as smoothly, and Leo’s smile turns into a smirk as he holds his fist out for her to tap. Which she does, like they’re old friends or something. She has a feeling that he'll be easy to get along with.

“Oh, and the one who’s prolly aboutta hug you again is Michaelangelo,” Raph points out, both in words and physically. Sasha turns her head just as she’s tackled in another hug by the orange-wearing turtle.

“I go by Mikey!” he cries in pure delight. Sasha can’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

“And a’course you’ve already met Donnie,” Leo says as he and Raph look teasingly behind her at the one person she has yet to see and yet knows the best. She begins to turn around to face him when his hands tighten on her shoulders just a little. She takes this as a sign that he’s not ready for her to see him yet and doesn’t turn anymore.

“And  _ I _ ,” the last person in the room, the elderly rat, says as her parts the crowd of turtles, “am their father.” He tucks his arms in his large sleeves, nodding his head with respect. “You may call me Splinter.” 

Sasha nods herself, returning the respect he’s given her. “I’m glad to meet you,” she says as she does. Splinter hums.

“Now, Purple, if we are done with this, I am going back to my game shows.” Splinter begins to head out of the room, shuffling along at a stunningly fast speed.

“Dad!” Donnie sounds indignant.Mikey jumps excitedly.

“Ooh, ooh! I’ll go get him! He volunteers. He starts to run off, but is stopped by Raph’s hand catching him.

“Hold up, Mike. You gotta make dinner, remember?” Mikey makes a small “oh” and nods. “Leo can do it.” Leo groans theatrically, but complies. “And speakin’ of food: Donnie’s friend-girl, were you plannin’ on stayin’ for dinner?” 

“Were you planning on staying forever?” Leo calls from the doorway before breaking into hysterical snickers. Sasha giggles a little herself, pretty sure that Donnie is facepalming when she hears his embarrassed whimper.

“Dinner would be nice, thanks,” she replies with a genuine smile. Mikey whoops and grabs Raph’s huge hand, tugging him away with excited cheers that “you can help me make the food, Raphie!”

Once everyone but Donnie and Sasha have left the room, Donnie gives a tentative “Well?”

“They sure are a spritely crew, aren’t they?”

“Yeah … and?”

“And?” Behind her, Donnie sighs exasperatedly. “They’re  _ turtles _ , Donnie. What are you expecting me to say?”

“So it doesn’t freak you out?”

“It surprised me a little, but no, not really.”

“Good.” Donnie sounds relieved, and his hands relax on her shoulders.

“I do have one question, though. Well, actually many questions, but only one I’m going to ask right now.”

“ … okay?”

“Can I see you?”

Donnie’s quiet for the longest time, long enough that Sasha begins to worry that he’ll say no. But then there’s a quiet “yeah … lemme just …” and the sound of clothing shifting that reminds her that he’s got his hoodie on. The sound stops, and then … 

A flicker of movement makes Sasha’s head turn to the side, her eye’s locking on Donnie’s. Really this time, because she can actually  _ see _ him now.

He’s not wearing his hoodie anymore, but it’s clear that it’s not the only purple article of clothing he has. Everything - from his elbow and knee pads to his mask - everything he’s wearing is purple, contrasting rather nicely with the deep jade green of his skin. He walks around her and stops in front of her, letting her stare at him as he embarrassingly studies the floor. There’s something attached to his shoulders that goes over his shell. Unless it  _ is _ his shell … which would be … she’d have to ask later.

Sasha’s imagined what he must look like a thousand times, and yet this is entirely unexpected. She finds herself unbothered it though, somehow, and - moreover - captivated by his eyes. They’re a dark mahogany brown that light up deep chestnut when they catch the light. Which they do as he glances up at her.

“So, um … d-did … have I passed inspection?” he stutters out nervously. Sasha smiles, stepping closer as she stared into his eyes.

“With flying colors,” she replies softly. Donnie smiles and their fingers semi-consciously intertwine.

Would you like a tour, milady?” he asks, his normal demeanor slowly returning.

“Why, I’d be delighted, good sir,” she replies grandly, taking his arm in an old-fashioned style. The two head off down one of the offshoots, Donnie pointing out rooms as they go.

* * *

“ … and I’ve saved the best for last,” Donnie brags. “Welcome to my lab!”

“ … oh my gosh …”

Donatello, on brand, truly has saved the best for last. He knows that Sasha has been wanting to see this ever since he mentioned it in one of their late night phone calls. And he’s been excited to show it to her too, if not to have a chance to talk to some who will listen about this stuff, to at  _ least _ get to see a look of wonder on her face.

Much like the one right now.

Sasha turns a slow circle, her big green eyes trying to take in everything at once. “You … you  _ made  _ all of this?” she asks, turning to him in awe. Donnie feels his pride soar.

“Well, yes,” he replies. “But most of it’s just stuff I came up with and put together with scrapyard junk, it’s really no big deal …”

“This stuff’s made from  _ scrap _ ?” Her eyes are so full of wondrous awe the Donnie can’t help but smile, blush, and duck his head.

“Yeah …” he says softly, scuffing at the ground with one foot.

“That’s … amazing.” Sasha shakes her head. “No, sorry. Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it. Maybe awe-inspiring, but that sounds too pretentious.”

“Well, sometimes I can be pretentious.” Sasha giggles, doing another slow turn.

“Oh, hey. What are those?” Donnie watches her race over to his wall chargers and display for his battleshells. “They look like that machine on your back.”

“Yeah, my battleshells.” He walks up to stand behind her. She turns to look at him. 

“Your what?”

“My battleshells.” Donnie realizes that he hasn’t explained these inventions to her yet. “They’re meant to protect my shell.

“Oh.” Sasha laughs, looking a little embarrassed. “I, uh, thought that might actually  _ be  _ your shell for a moment.”

Donnie laughs. “No, just a protective shield, plus a few other useful upgrades. Flight, extra limbs, et cetera, et cetera.

“Wow. Do your brothers use them?”

“No, they don’t need them.” At that, Sasha gives him a confused look. “Okay, so have you noticed that my brothers and I are different species?” She makes a tilting motion with her head and hand, conveying that she’s noticed some differences. “Well, my brothers have sturdier shells because of that. You know what softshell turtles are?” Sasha’s eyes widen in horrified shock. “Yeah, I happen to be that ever-do-lucky species.”

Sasha’s eyes lower and she turns away from him. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles, and Donnie instantly feels bad.

“It’s okay. You didn’t know about it,” he tells her as he unconsciously wraps an arm around her shoulders. She stiffens at first, then relaxes into him. The way her body fits into his makes him feel warm, and a little vulnerable … 

“Uh.” He pulls away, heading for his desk chair and hiding the fact that his face feels like it’s on fire. “You wanna talk about anything? You said you had questions earlier …”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” She takes a seat on one of his other chairs that he typically keeps around for April and Mikey.

They spend the next fifteen or so minutes talking about a lot of things, most of it being about him and his brothers, but some about Sasha, too. Finally Mikey calls for them to come eat before Raph tries to eat it all and they go racing down to the kitchen, earlier feelings partially forgotten.

* * *

Mikey is the best cook ever. End of story.

Nothing and no one could change Sasha’s mind on that statement, not even Nan’s mostly-superior cooking (for an almost deaf and blind lady, Nan is a really good cook, but nowhere  _ near _ Mikey’s level). Somehow, the adorable little bugger that wasted no time racing up to her with hugs has also wasted no time creating the  _ best _ meal Sasha has ever had in her life.

“I’m gonna have to keep an eye on you,” she says when they’re through, because clearly the boy has some hidden talents. Mikey just giggles out a “thank you!” and does this adorable little wiggle that reminds Sasha of an excited puppy (clearly something has gone wrong here, because Mikey should definitely be a puppy. Definitely. How he ended up a turtle, Sasha doesn’t know).

Then there’s a little more socializing with the bros (Raph’s a big teddy bear, Mikey is the bean he’s been since they met, and Leo is quite obviously a memer), a little more hanging out in Donnie’s lab (which is everything she imagined and  _ more _ , oh my gosh), and then Donnie announces that it’s time to get her home.

“Hey, try and meet April!” Leo calls out to her as they’re leaving. “She’ll love ya!” Sasha gives a nod in response and it’s off with her and Donnie, goodbyes being called out the door after them.

* * *

This has to be one of the most emotionally chaotic nights of Donnie’s life.

He and Sasha walk side-by-side to Sasha’s apartment, and Donnie isn’t sure what to think, other than Sasha might possibly maybe make him feel good in a way he doesn’t want to admit to.

“So, you’re brothers are cool,” Sasha says as the reach the building she lives in. She takes a couple steps ahead of him before making a smooth 180 to face him. “They seem okay with my involvement in your life and their lives.”

“They seem eager for it, actually,” Donnie corrects, heart fluttering at Sasha’s smile. It’s silent for a long moment before Sasha speaks.

“You know it really doesn’t change much, right?” she asks him, and Donnie knows she means their mutations. He nods, and she smiles, looking relieved. “Good.” 

There’s another long moment of silence. “So … are you going in?”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess.”

Donnie reaches out and takes Sasha’s hand, bringing it up to his lips. After a moment, he lets go. “I figured it was my turn to surprise you like that.” Sasha stares at him, wonderstruck.

Something comes between them; Donnie can feel it. The gap between them gets smaller, and Donnie gets the sudden urge to lean in and -

“Sashie!”

The two jerk apart at the sound of a young girl’s voice. They look up to see a dark haired girl waving enthusiastically from a high-up window.

“Lottie! What on earth are you doing awake?!” Sasha calls back.

“I was waiting on you!” Charlotte responds happily. “Hey, is that your new boyfr-”

_ “Go to sleep, Charlotte May!!” _

Sasha sighs, turning back to Donnie. “I should go,” she says resignedly. Donnie nods.

“I’ll call you later,” he promises, and Sasha agrees, heading inside. It’s only after Donnie has watched her retreat that he realizes what he could have done if Charlotte hadn’t popped up.

“Oh,” he realizes. “Oh  _ no _ .” No way was he falling for -  _ no _ . He wouldn’t even  _ think _ it. It was just a weird moment. Right? Yeah! There’s no way Donnie could even  _ consider _ … they’d barely known each other for two weeks - not even! There was absolutely no way - 

Donnie hurries home, fighting back his feelings and hoping lab work would help him get rid of this … confusion.

* * *

Donnie returns to the lair and heads for his lab. On the way, he passes through Splinter’s TV room, attempting to sneak past his father.

And fails.

“Purple,” Splinter says without turning. Donnie flinches, then sighs. “I believe we need to talk about a certain incident involving you leaving on you own.  _ And _ showing yourself in public.”

“If you drop it, I’ll take off all restrictions on you TV,” Donnie bribes.

“I did not see you,” is the response the softshell turtle gets, and Donnie grins as he heads back to his lab.

However, inside an unwanted guest reclines in one of his chairs, feet propped up on the table.

“Your friend-girl is fun, Dee,” Leonardo teases. Donnie huffs, stomping inside and lifting Leo’s feet off the table. The slider flails for a moment before regaining his balance.

“Get out,” Donnie mutters as he takes a seat.

“What? I’m just hangin’ out with my twin,” Leo defends good-naturedly. “Talking about his new girl.” Donnie huffs again, louder, but can’t stop the small smile creeping onto his face.

Leo sees and gasps. “I know that look!” He shifts to somehow rest his head in his hands and his legs against the back of the chair, having him sort of sit on his knees in the chair. “So … tell me about the girl.” 

“Get  _ out _ , Leon.”

“Come on! Tell me about her!” Donnie grumbles wordlessly. “At least tell me about how you like her! It’s my only form of good entertainment!”

“Well, joke’s on you, because I don’t like her!” Donnie stands, outraged,and points at the door. “Now get  _ out! _ ”

“But you totally -”

_ “Out!!” _

Leo gets up and sulks out of the lab. Once out of Donnie’s earshot, he meets up with his other two brothers and grins mischievously.

“He  _ totally _ likes her,” Leo claims knowingly. The other two grin in excited agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's that! (Who's hoping Donnie will just accept the feelings he's feeling?)
> 
> Tune in for Episode 4: She's Beauty, She's Grace, and -- She Can Fight?!?. It'll post THREE weeks from now ('cause I got Thanksgiving break for a whole week, and then a chapter to post for another fic the week after my break). See ya later!


	4. She's Beauty, She's Grace, and -- She Can Fight?!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During an outing to see the Light fest show, the turtle brothers - with April and Sasha - run into some trouble in the form of Hypno and Meat Sweats. But they’ll be fine, they can fight, and so can April, and --  
\-- Sasha can too?!?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference to Ducktales (2017) season 1, episode 4 “The Beagle Birthday Massacre!”  
Also, a song I think Donnie would listen to on a daily basis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AClwx60LRtU

If anyone were to walk in the lair at this moment, they would find it uncharacteristically quiet.

However, April O’Neil, hiding behind a couch in the arcade and covering her mouth to quiet the almost-silent sound of her breathing, finds the silence very useful.

For a long moment, everything is silent, save for the soft running of the computers and arcade machines. Then April hears the soft, cautious pattering of young mutant turtle feet. She grins. The feet get closer, pause, get closer again … 

“Hah!” She jumps out of her hiding place, causing a poor, unsuspecting Michaelangelo to shirek in playful terror and book it back the way he came. April gives chase, following Mikey out of the arcade, down the hall, through Splinter’s TV room (though they run behind his chair instead of between the rat-man and the TV. They’ve learned many times not to do that), and out into the atrium before April is forced to skid to a stop to keep from being clotheslined by a (surprisingly human-seeming) arm.

“Whoa!” a female voice says. A girl with light skin, dark hair, and milky green eyes sweeps Mikey protectively behind her. “What in  _ Jersey _ do you think you’re doing?!”

“Uh.” April is momentarily stunned by the mostly human-seeming girl in front of her (the fact that this girl is stunningly pretty doesn’t help much. Like,  _ wow _ ), but recovers quickly enough to put on her own authoritative sass, along with a hand on her hip for emphasis, and retort, “What do you think  _ you’re _ doing?”

Before either of them can continue, Mikey wraps the girl in a warm hug from behind (!) and greets her with a loud, “Hiiii!”

“It’s okay!” the orange-clad box turtle explains cherrily. “We were just playing Reverse Hide-and-Seek.” The unidentified (but apparently clearly known) girl lets out a soft “oh”, then a “wait, what?” before all three of them turn towards the source of a called “April!”

Donatello runs up from the direction April and Mikey came from (April vaguely remembers seeing him hiding in Splinter’s TV room when they ran through there), gasping out, “April, I’ve told you: you have to be careful chasing Mikey like that through here! The chances of either of you getting seriously hurt if you fall is much higher here than -- EEP!” Donnie, to April’s continued surprise, skids to a stop right next to her when he sees the girl April still doesn’t know.

“Hey, Donnie,” the new girl says, smiling softly. She looks a little sheepish when she says, “Um, what is it you guys are playing again?”

“Only the best game, like,  _ ever _ !” Leo and Raph show up on the walkway above them. “Hey, Sasha!” the younger slider calls with a wave that’s returned generously.

April’s just kinda taking this as it goes now, but the name Sasha  _ does _ sound familiar to her … 

“So, whatcha doin’ here?” Mikey asks, dark blue eyes wide with excitement. Raph, with Leo tucked under one arm, hops down to the main floor to join them.

“I’m here to get you guys for the light show.” Blank stares ensue. “The light show on 6th and Main? There’s supposed to be a big concert that they’re gonna sync the lights to?” April had heard of it, but hadn’t gotten any word of the boys going and had chosen to write it off. “I-I sent a text to Donnie about it.” Sasha turns to the still-stunned softshell. “You  _ did _ get my texts, didn’t you?”

Donnie doesn’t respond. He’s instead making a really quiet, high-pitched keening sound, and it’s only now that April realizes that her friend’s face is a shade of deep red to rival even that of Raph’s attire. Donnie suddenly slumps and falls, passing out. April reacts quick as sounds of concern fill the room, catching her purple-loving friend.

“Whoa! Man, are you okay?” April gets zero response. Donatello is actually out like a light, not just acting the way he typically, dramatically does.

They manage to transfer him to a couch in the living room, where they all crowd around him in worry. After a few minutes, Donnie makes a quiet groan and blinks open his eyes. April isn’t the only one who feels relieved.

“Hey, man,” April says. Donnie slowly sits up. “You doin’ okay?”

“Was it a dream?” Donnie asks. April blinks in confusion. “It felt so real.”

“ … what dream?” April doesn’t understand. Sasha steps closer from behind him and places a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright, Donnie?’ the softshell’s face goes red again as his focus goes to the girl. He twists around to face her. 

“Y-yes, I’m fine,” he rushes out. “I-it must’ve just been low blood sugar o-or dehydration, th-that’s all.” Suddenly, the reason for Donnie’s weird behavior hits April head-on.

“Hey … yeah,” she starts in an attempt to come up with a distraction. “Why don’t you three go show Sasha where the kitchen is and grab Donnie some water while you’re at it?” April lightly pushes the group towards the door and Mikey catches onto the idea, tugging them all with him excitedly while he spouts a mile a minute. Once they’re gone, April whirls around to give Donnie a sly grin. “So  _ that’s  _ the cute girl whose phone number you got.”

Donnie ducks his head, embarrassed. “April …”

“You got good taste, Dee.” April plops down on the couch, ignoring how her glasses bounce on her nose as she does. “I mean, her first words to me weren’t exactly the nicest, but  _ man _ , she’s hot.” April receives and embarrassed glare. “When are you gonna ask her out?’

“I’m not asking her out.” Donnie rises from the couch in what April knows is an attempt to end the conversation.

But April shall persist. “Why not?”

“Because we’re  _ just friends _ ,” Donatello insists. And then, so quiet April almost doesn’t hear, “And I don’t want to get shot down.”

“Oh, Donne.” April gets up, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think she’d shoot you down.”

“Oh,  _ please _ .” Donnie’s voice goes cold, bitter, hard. “There are  _ thousands _ of people she’d like better. Probably a hundred or so in New York  _ alone _ .”

April opens her mouth to reject the very idea of that, even ready to pull out some statistics so Donnie’ll actually listen to her, when the others come back in.

“Okay,  _ Donnie _ , bro, you  _ gotta _ come with us to this light concert thing,” Leo says, slinging an arm around Donnie’s shoulders. “‘Cause it sounds like the  _ coolest thing _ .”

“It’s called Light Fest, Leo,” Sasha says as she rolls her eyes good-naturedly.

“Well, Light Fest, then. We gotta go to Light Fest,” Leo corrects, sticking his tongue out at Sasha.

“I don’t know …” Donnie replies, seemingly hesitant.

“No! Say yes!” Leo turns to April. “You’re coming too! Make him say yes!”

“Aight,” April agrees carelessly. “Say yes, Dee!”

“Miguel, do the eyes!” Mikey salutes before turning huge, pleading eyes on Donatello. The softshell raises his hands in surrender. 

“Alright, alright! I didn’t have anything I needed to do anyway,” he complies. The other three break into cheers and a chant of “Light Fest! Light Fest! Light Fest!” April just grins at the brothers’ antics.

* * *

An hour before the Light Fest show is supposed to start, the boys, April, and Sasha all head out to find the perfect spectator spot for four turtle mutants, a human-calico mutant, and a human girl. April tries her hardest to get Donnie to let Sasha ride on his back, but the embarrassed (but obviously smitten) softshell pleads quietly against it and April gets the spot instead. Sasha doesn’t seem to mind, and instead accept Raph’s offer to ride on his back, to Mikey’s mild dismay.

The four brothers, with the two girls in tow, leap across buildings cheerfully. At first, it’s painfully obvious by Sasha’s breathy shrieks that she’s never done this before. But, and April’s gotta hand this to her, Sasha adapts quickly and soon her shouts turn into thrilled cheers.

The group is about a block away - they can see the periodically flashing lights of the set up - when they’re suddenly stopped by Leo’s attention-grabbing “Hey, wait a minute, guys.” They all gather around as he points down in an alleyway. “Look.”

Down in the alley, a certain pig mutant and a certain hippo mutant are caught in mildly-frustrated conversation. “Ugh, this is tedious,” Hypno groans. “Warren’s got to be so lonely right now. We were supposed to have game night tonight … What are we supposed to be doing here again?”

“Don’t know. This radio communicator keeps bugging. Something about a festival?” Meat Sweats responds as he fiddles with the device in his gauntleted hands.

“You’d figure someone so high-tech would have better communication devices,” the hippo mutters.

“Oh mi gosh,” Mikey hisses. “They’re gonna do something at the Light Fest!”

“What’s going on?’ Sasha asks, but is effectively ignored.

` “We should get out of here,” Donnie suggests, nodding subtly at Sasha.

“We can’t just leave ‘em be though!” Raph counters.

“Maybe … two of us stay and two go with the girls?” Leo offers.

“Uh, I better not be goin’ anywhere,” April cuts in. “I can fight, too.”

“Well, whatever we do, we need to do it quick.” Donnie leans out over the edge. “They look like they’ll be making a move soo -- WAH!” Donnie leans too far outwards, and April’s weight causes his body to dip.

Which, in turn, causes April to tumble gracelessly over his shoulders and down into the alley with a shriek.

“APRIL!” all five of them scream before shutting up quickly. April manages to slow her fall a little by grabbing onto some pipes, but her fingers keep slipping and she ultimately ends up landing flat on her butt in front of the two enemy mutants.

“Ow,” she groans, then realizes that the two (rather menacing up close) mutants are staring her down. “Uh … hi?’

“Who are you?” Hypno demands.

“Um, no one you know?” April squeaks in reply.

Hypno stares at her calculatingly whilst Meat Sweats starts sniffing at the air. “On the contrary, you actually look quite familiar,” the hippo notes. “Though I can’t tell from where …”

April giggles nervously. “Oh … it’s prolly a coincidence, you know .. some people  _ do _ say I look like Beyonce …”

“No.” Hypno’s deadpan would make April laugh if she wasn’t in this situation. “No, you most definitely do not.”

“She smells familiar, too,” Meat Sweats mentions as he continues trying to figure out the scent.

Above the alley, the boys are freaking out.

“ _ Oh mi gosh! _ April’s gonna die!” Mikey shrieks as quietly as possible.

“We can’t go down there or we blow our surprise element,” Donnie cautions.

“We can’t leave April down there, either!” Raph shoots back. “Bright ideas, now! Leo?”

“Wh -- why me first? I got nothing!” the slider hisses in response.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Sasha slips delicately off Raph’s back. “Those guys are bad news, aren’t they?” The four brothers nod, still distressed. “Alright, I’ll go get her.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Alright.”

“Good idea.”

The four turtles agree at first, nodding. Then the reality of Sasha’s words hits them.

“Wait, WHAT?!?”

Unfortunately, their pause has given Sasha enough time to hop over the side of the building and land gently on her feet (pros of being a cat mutant: really accurate agility). The brothers watch in worried horror as Sasha runs up to April.

“Oh, Britty darling,  _ there _ you are!” Sasha says with an impressively accurate English accent as she half-tackles April, shoving the human girl’s hood over her head as she does.

April, attempting to fend Sasha off a little, hisses, “What are you doing?”

“Just trust me,” Sasha whispers, allowing April to stand up straight while she has one arm wrapped around her shoulders. Returning to the accent, she continues, “And look, you’ve already met some of our new colleagues, how brilliant!”

` “Um, I’m sorry, who are you?” Hypno asks, sounding mildly confused.

“Who are we?” Sasha repeats. “Why, we’re your boss’ new lackeys from across the pond-lake!”

Hypno turns to Meat sweats. “Did the Baron ever mention a pond to you?”

“I don’t think he can swim,” the pig mutant growls, both turning to glare at the girls.

“No, no, no,” Sasha says, stepping closer and waving her arms. She turns her head back to look at April. “Silly Americans.” April holds back giggles and Sasha continues. “We’re from  _ England _ , darlings. That there is Brittania and I’m …” Sasha searches her mind for another British-sounding name. “ … Englabeth?”

“She does sound rather proper, doesn’t she?’ Hypno murmurs to Meat Sweats.

“And confident, too,” Meat Sweats adds quietly. Sasha takes her chance to continue.

“Well, it was rather lovely to meet you,” she says, slowly backing away with April in tow, “and I do hope we’ll meet again, yes?”

April shoots forwards quickly and grabs the radio communicator from Meat Sweats. “I’m taking this,” she states before he can argue.

“Ah, yes. A memento of our serendipitous meeting,” Sasha claims grandly, sweeping into a graceful curtsey before she and April book it.

Suddenly, Meat Sweats finally recognizes the strange scent on the two girls. “Wait a minute, they were with the turtles!”

“Were they?” Hypno asks. “Oh, dear.”

* * *

April and Sasha book it down NYC’s busy streets (even at night, there’s no end to the people) and only stop when they’re out of breath and safely on a rooftop again.

“Okay, okay, okay. So,” April says once she’s finally caught her breath. “Brittania? Englabeth? Beautiful. Genius. Where did you come up with this?”

“I don’t know, but thank you. I try,” Sasha responds. April laughs.

“Ooh! And also, where did you get that accent from? It’s crazy!”

“My father’s family is mostly English, and my mom’s is from the South. I didn’t hear a normal New York accent until I was well into my childhood.”

“Oh my gosh, I would  _ pay _ to see you as a little kid running around with a British accent.”

Sasha grins and puts on said accent. “Would you truly?”

“Indubitably, Englabeth.”

“Splendid, Britannia.”

When the turtle brothers catch up to them, April and Sasha are giggling hard enough to be rolling on the roof. April catches sight of them and pops up.

“Guys! Bruh, you totally missed the pre-entertainment entertainment!” she tells them.

“Uh, no we didn’t!” Leo shoots back, grinning. “We got the whole thing! Mikey and I even videoed it!”

“That was crazy sick, Sash!” Mikey praises excitedly as April and Leo crowd around the slider’s phone to watch the video. “How’d you even  _ do _ that?”

“Well …”

There’s the general chatter, mixed with fawning over Sasha’s accent ability, before they finally agree that they need to go before the Light Fest show starts.

They find a rooftop that has literally the  _ best _ vantage point to view the festival from and are making light banter about Sasha’s accent when from behind them comes a familiar “You’ve got to be  _ kidding _ me.”

The group freezes, then slowly turns to see Hypno and Meat Sweats standing there with - surprisingly, since they thought they got rid of all of them - a small jar of oozesquitos.

All is silent.

Then, Leo: “ _ Bruh. _ ”

Sasha gives a nervous giggle. “I, uh, guess this rooftop was double-booked, huh?”

Leo whirls around with a grin. “Say  _ that _ in the British accent!” he demands elatedly. Donnie leans closer to him.

“Not the time,” the softshell whispers.

“Right,” the slider concedes.

“Look, can we maybe, possibly postpone this until tomorrow?’ Raph asks. “We’d be up for it any other night, but we kinda got a friend here, and a fight’s not the best place for her to be, so …”

“ … ex _ cuse _ me?!” Sasha says, with no response.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Meat Sweats replies good-naturedly. “You just let us let these buggers go, and we’ll fight’cha over your defeat tomorrow, hm?’

“Aw, naw,” Mikey says, spinning the ball of his kusari-fundo.

“Ain’t happenin’, bro,” Leo adds, leaning on the handle of his now-drawn sword.

“I’m sorry, can we talk about that little comment about me and fights?” Sasha asks, again with no response.

Donnie, tech bo drawn and ready, glances back at her. “Just stay out of harm’s way, Sasha. We’ll be done with this in a few minutes,” he warns her. Beside him, April slaps a baseball bat from …  _ somewhere _ , no one knows for sure where she had it, against her palm.

The two groups face off, tensed but poised to strike.

The brothers and April move first, charging forwards to meet Meat Sweats and Hypno. Sasha watches the exchange for a moment before huffing and marching in.

At first, it seems like the others really  _ do _ have it covered, with Sasha only having to duck limbs and didge weapons, which she does with surprising ease and grace. But a few moments in, someone behind her huffs and Sasha finds herself lifted in the air. At first, she thinks it’s Raph, and is about to chew him out over what he said, but then she realizes it’s actually  _ Hypno _ who’s restraining her and moving her out of the tussle. She struggles against him. 

“Listen, kid,” he grunts, trying to keep his hold on her, “if you can’t fight, stay outta it, alright?” Sasha’s eyes widen before her brows furrow. She’s so done with this treatment.

Sasha goes limp for just a moment, until Hypno’s hold on her loosens some. Then she jerks to attention, slamming her foot down on his as she shoves her elbows back and up, into his stomach and lungs. Hypno drops her with an “oomph” and Sasha whirls around and drives the heel of her hand into his nose - or snout.  _ Hard _ .

“Ow!” he cries, backing away and holding his injured nose. “You know, you’re not as nice as you were when you were pretending to be English.”

“Well, that was and act, so.” 

“Ah.” hypno pats at his nose like it might be bleeding. It very well may be. In any case, Sasha takes this chance to kick up a couple of small, slender metal pipes near her. She catches them and holds one in each hand, like sticks or …

… or  _ knives _ .

_ Just like kali class _ , she tells herself, taking a fighting stance. Hypno has recovered now and is drawing his rings in preparation to attack.

“So, little girl thinks she can play with fire, huh?’ he asks tauntingly. Sasha just smirks before charging.

Their weapons come together in a clash of metal-on-metal, and Sasha twists her wrists, spinning the pipes so fast in her hands that Hypno can’t catch each attack. Each hit - most on his arms - makes him hiss in pain until he finally uses simple brute force to shove her away from him. Sasha doesn’t fall, however, and instead begins advancing again once she’s recovered. So Hypno begins throwing his rings. 

Sasha deflects the first two hits with little difficulty, but the third is aimed at enough of an angle to knock one of the pipes out of her hand. Her eyes widen for a moment as she looks at Hypno, who grins darkly. He lines up his next shot.

“You  _ did _ ask for it, girlie.”

Before he can throw, a purple staff slams into his side hard enough to bring him down. Donatello’s glare shifts from the fallen, groaning Hypno to Sasha, who had replenished the pipe to her hand.

“I _ told _ you,” the softshell hisses. Warnings are called to him, but he isn’t listening. “I told you to --”

A figure looms behind Donnie, meat tenderizer raised high. Sasha’s eyes widen and she races forwards, shouldering Donnie out of the way and blocking the blow.

But Meat Sweats is much stronger than her. 

Sasha’s feet shift ans she slides backwards, bit by bit. But a moment later, Donnie’s staff is added to the two pipes Sasha is using as makeshift weapons and they both give a huge shove, sending Meat Sweats back into Raph’s waiting punch.

As the pig mutant crumples, Donnie turns to Sasha and asks, incredulous, “You can fight?’”

Sasha meets Donnie’s gaze evenly. “I can fight,” she affirms, and continues to prove it by lashing her arm out to the side and slamming her pipe into the slowly rising Hypno’s stomach. 

A little ways away, the others watch with pleased surprise. “Whoa-ho, she did not just --” Leo begins.

“She  _ did _ just,” Donnie cuts him off, sounding equally surprised.

“She can fight?” Raph asks.

“Yes, I can fight,” she confirms again. Then she menacingly points a pipe at Raph. “And  _ you _ .” The snapper gulps, caught off guard by the genuine fear he feels. “You will not  _ ever _ say  _ anything _ like what you said earlier about me  _ ever again _ .”

“Yes, ma’am,” the red-clad turtle squeaks, and the others laugh at his look of discomfort.

Donnie snatches up the formerly abandoned jar of oozesquitos. “I believe these belong to us now, yes?” He only gets pained groans in response. “I’ll take those as affirmations.”

“Guys!” Mikey calls from his perch on the rooftops edge. “It’s starting!” They quickly dispose Meat Sweats and Hypno before taking their places to watch the show.

Before it starts, though, April gets an idea. “Hey, Sasha,” she calls innocently. “Could we switch spots? It’s a little too warm over here for me.” Beside her, Donnie gives her a shocked look of betrayal that April returns with a sly grin.

“But we’re outside, the air is --” Sasha begins to say before shrugging and shaking her head. Good, she’s learned not to question things. “Okay, if you really want to switch.”

“You!” April hops up from between Donnie and Raph. Before leaving, she leans down and whispers to Donnie, “You gotta start somewhere with her, Dee.”

April goes to sit in Sasha’s former spot between Leo and Mikey and watches Sasha and Donnie awkwardly shift to accommodate the typically squished space April prefers around the brothers. They eventually relax, and April grins as she notices them lean into each other a little.

“Ah, so you noticed it, too?” April looks at Leo, who’s also grinning as he watches his brother and their new friend. 

“Gosh, it’s so  _ obvious _ ,” April says.

“I know right? But Donnie’s being, like,  _ super _ shy and in denial about it.”

“How long do you think it’ll take ‘em?”

“A’fore he asks her out? Three months, tops.”

“Can’t disagree there. That’s a pretty good guess.”

“Hey,” Mikey cuts in. “Listen. Listen, April, listen.”

“ … listen to what?” Mikey’s face is priceless.

“The  _ music _ .”

April and Leo have trouble holding back their snickers.

* * *

Gabriel studies the machine, a dark, almost-beautiful mix of modern technology and Draxum’s own work. The machine is huge, reminiscent of the one Draxum described to Gabriel that was used to create his former protege. In the front, a large panel lay vertically flat, eight entry points deeply set in the surface. Once he finishes his inspection, Gabriel nods in approval.

“Impressive work, Baron,” he congratulates coolly. “Will it work?”

“We won’t know until the Project is ready,” the yokai responds.

Gabriel nods again, drawing two test tubes from his coat pocket. Both labels are fairly old, indicating many years of waiting. One reads “Project 81632”, the other - slightly older - reads “Project 852026”. Gabriel loads the first in the machine silently, but adds the second after a quiet, nonchalant murmur of “I wonder if his daughter is still alive”. Once they’re in, Gabrial backs away. A beatific smile graces his face.

“Six to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, both Sasha and I are American, so we can call Americans silly.  
Hope you enjoyed this episode, as it’ll be the last one for about 3 weeks as I go off for Christmas break. Merry Christmas!


	5. NOTICE

Happy 2020, everyone!

Sadly, with this post I bring bad news. Currently I am having to work through a big personal problem, as well as help a really close friend with theirs. Because of this, I am putting this fic on hiatus for a while. I _will_ do my best to bring it back, but currently I can't work on it too well.

Thank you all for reading this story and I hope you'll all bear with me as I work towards coming back.

I hope to see you all soon!

\--The1TrueAnon

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I know this first chapter isn't quite as good as I wanted it to be, but I promise it'll get better as I get into the gist of things. I'm so excited for this and I hope you guys are too!
> 
> See yall for the next chapter!


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